Production of textile materials



Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRODUCTION OF TEXTILE MATERIALS William Alexander Dickie and William Ivan Taylor, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application March 7, 1933, Serial No. 659,981. In Great Britain March 30, 1932 4 Claims.

- This invention relates to the production of crepe yarns and fabrics, particularly to the production of such materials from yarns consisting of or containing filaments of cellulose acetate or ever, in the production of' such fabrics from yarns of cellulose acetate or other organic esters of cellulose, and the object of the present invention is to facilitate the production of crepe efiects when employing yarns of such materials.

According to the invention a crepe yarn is used which comprises filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic ester of cellulose which enceof the saponified filaments enables a better crepe efiect to be obtained than in the case of yarns not containing such filaments.

The proportion of the saponified filaments relative to that of the unsaponified filaments employed in the yarn may vary within wide limits. Good results may be obtained in practice by saponifying from one quarter to three quarters (by weight) of the filaments, e. g. one third or one half. For example a bundle-of filaments of 45 total denier may be saponified and thereafter united to and twisted with a bundle of filamen of 100 denier.

' The invention includes within its scope the yarns containing both saponified and unsaponified filaments, as well as fabrics containing such yarns.

The yarns containing the saponified and unsaponified filaments may be produced in any convenient manner, as by a simple doubling of appropriate numbers of filaments, which doubling may conveniently be effected in the twisting operation in which the yarns are given the requisite high degree of twist, or in a stage of such twisting operation where more than one stage of twisting is employed; For example, the

filaments may be doubled in a ring-spinning or other twisting operation which imparts the whole or a part of the ultimate high twist required.

The two kinds of filaments may be untwisted prior to their association in the yarn, or if desired filaments may be used which have already 5 been twisted, though preferably to a low degree.

-Thus, for example, the filaments may be employed in the form of a thread twisted to the extent of, say, to 2 /2 turns per inch as is usual in the case of dry spun threads twisted continuously with their production.

Doubling of the saponified with the unsaponified filaments may take place continuously with the production of some or all of the component filaments. Thus, for example, twisted or untwisted filaments or saponified cellulose acetate may be led to and doubled with a thread of unsaponified cellulose acetate filaments continuously with the production of the latter thread,

the two threads conveniently being doubled together continuously with this operation, and later twisted to the requisite high degree, e. g. 40, 50,

. 60 or more turns per inch.

The saponification of .the filaments to be associated with the unsaponified filaments may also be carried out continuously with the production of the saponified filaments if desired. Thus, for example, two threads each consisting of the desired number of filaments'may be produced simultaneously, one of the threads being 0 treated with a suitable saponifying agent continuously with its production, and the two threads then being led together to a winding or twisting and winding device. Two such threads may even be produced from a single spinning jet, being maintained separate until 'saponification of the one thread has been effected. A suitable type of jet for this purpose is described in U. S. application S. No. 482,655 filed 18th September, 1930, which explains how separate threads may be 40 spun from'a single jet and maintained separate during their setting.

The degree of saponification of the saponified filaments may vary within wide limits. For example, in the case of cellulose acetate filaments saponiflcation may be carried out to a degree corresponding with a loss in weight of 10 to 30 per cent. e. g. 20-30 per cent., though greater degrees of saponification may beemployed if desired, for instance saponification may approach or attain completion.

Various methods of carrying out the saponifi-. cation of cellulose acetate or other organic esters of cellulose are described in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,884,620, 1,884,621, 1,884,622 and 1,884,623 and U. 8. applications S. Nos. 248,558 filed 21st January, 1928, 283,999 and 284,000 filed 8th June, 1928, 287,034 and 287,035 filed 20th June, 1928 and 418,415 filed 3rd January; 1930, according to which saponifying agents such as caustic soda, caustic potash, sodium or potassium carbonate or silicate, trisodium phosphate-or ammonia, are employed to bring about various degrees of saponification especially intense surface saponification. The agents are conveniently employed in the form of aqueous or alcoholic solutions or as pastes. Swelling agents may be" employed to facilitate the saponification and to bring about a hlghdegree of uniformity of saponification.

In carrying out saponiflcation of filaments continuously with their production either by dryor wet-spinning, the methods described in U. S. application S. No. 418,415 filed 3rd January, 1930 may be employed. Thus, for example, the simultaneous production of saponified and unsaponifled filaments may be carried out continuously with the dry-spinning of such filaments by carrying one thread containing an appropriate number of filaments over a wick, rotating roller or other device supplied with 5% solution of caustic soda and water or methyl or ethyl alcohol.- This device may be arranged immediately after the feed roller used to draw the filaments from the dry-spinning cell, the treated filaments then passing to a winding or twisting and winding device, e. g. a cap-spinning device where they are collected, together with the simultaneously produced unsaponified filaments. If desired drying means may be provided over or through which the treated filaments pass before being wound.

The amount of saponifying agent applied is I preferably such as to be completely exhausted,

so that no washing need be resorted to. It should be seen, however, that any lubricant applied to the filaments to be saponified does not affect prejudicially the saponifying treatment. In practice it has been found especially advantageous to lubricate only that part of the filaments which is not to be saponified. The saponification is thus not hindered while the yarn obtained by uniting the saponified with the unsaponified filaments is found to wind and/or twist satisfactorily. To ensure this result the proportion of unsaponified filaments should not be too low.

The presence of saponified as well as unsaponified cellulose acetate or other organic esterof cellulose in the yarns and fabrics provides an afllnity for dyestuffs which will not normally dye cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters. If desired, the yarns containing saponified and unsaponified filaments may include or be doubled with other textile filaments or fibres. 'Such other materials may have a different affinity for dyestuffs from the cellulose acetate filaments, and so add to the range of colour effects obtainable. For example, threads of silk or wool may be employed as additional materials.

The degree of twist inserted in the crepe threads may vary according to the number and denier of the individual filaments composing the thread and will usually be of the order of 50-75, turns per inch. The high twist may, as previously indicated, be inserted in a single stage or in two or more stages and the application of the high twist may be effected simultaneously with the doubling of the saponified filaments with the unsaponified filaments. The twisting operation -may very advantageously be conducted in the manner described in U. S. applications S. Nos.

to say twisting isefiected in two or more stages and the filaments are subjected to a setting treatment in between stages (if twisting. Reference is made to these applications for more specific details of the methods which may be employed.

The highly twisted crpe yarns embodying the saponified and unsaponified filaments may be incorporated in fabrics in any suitable manner. For example, they may be woven into fabrics in which the weft alone is wholly or partially composed of such yarns, or the warp of the fabrics may also contain or consist wholly of them. In the former case the fabrics exhibit shrinkage chiefly in the direction of the weft. It is found convenient in general, however, to employ yarns of relatively low twist in the warp, e. g. an unsized low twist warp or a voile warp, and to employ in the weft both crepe yarns having a left-hand twist and crepe yarns having a right-hand twist. Likewise a warp wholly or partly composed of the high twist crepe yarns may be used with low twist or-medium twist weft. The yarns having opposite twist may be disposed in the fabric in any convenient manner, for example as pairs'of yarns of left-hand twist alternating with pairs of yarns of right-hand twist. Again, two yarns of opposite twist and laid parallel to each other or lightly doubled together may be used. Employed as weft, such yarns enable crepe effects to be obtained without the use of a two-box loom.

having a comparatively low twist, or a mixture of both, may be of the same material as or different from the material used in the weft yarns. For example, with weft yarns consisting ofsaponified and unsaponified cellulose acetate filaments,

modifying the results obtained may be utilized.

For details of such devices and processes reference is made to U. S. applications S. Nos. 444,619 filed 15th April, 1930, 491,070 filed 24th October, 1930, 501,461 filed 10th December, 1930, 514,898 and 514,899 filed 10th February, 1931, 523,931 filed 19th March, 1931, 527,358 "filed 2nd April,

I 1931, 530,728 filed 16th April, 1931, 538,486 filed.

19th May, 1931, 559,210 filed 25th August, 1931,

' 589,304 filed 27th January, 1932 and 619,122 filed 24th June, 1932 and British Patents Nos. 351,999 and 379,285.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1;:-

v 1. Process for the production of crepe twisted crepe threads, which comprises imparting a crepe 65 twist in more than one stage to yarn comprising both unsaponified cellulose ester filaments and cellulose ester filaments which have been saponified to a degree corresponding to a loss in weight of 10-30%.

2. Process for the production of crepe twiste crepe threads,,which comprises imparting a crepe twist in more than one stage to yarn comprising both unsaponified cellulose acetate filaments and cellulose acetate filaments which have been 75 30 The warp yarns, whether highly twisted or 5 twist in more than one stage to yarn comprising both unsaponified cellulose ester filaments and cellulose ester filaments which have been saponified to a degree corresponding to a loss in weight of 10 to 30%, and subjecting the yarn to a set- 10 ting treatment in between stages of twisting.

4. Process for the production of crepe twisted crepe threads, which comprises imparting a crepe twist in more than one stage to yarn comprising both unsaponifled cellulose actate filaments and cellulose acetate filaments which have been saponified to a. degree corresponding to a. loss in weight of 10 to 30%, and subjecting the yarn to a steaming treatment in between stages of twisting.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER DICKIE.

WILLIAM IVAN TAYLOR. 

